Embrassing the Gophers could not score on a zone defense

Is it coaching or recruits ability to learn and execute? As a D-1 Big Ten program, why did they struggle so bad against a zone defense. It is like they never had seen one in their basketball career. Don't you learn this in Jr High?

217FAN said:

Is it coaching or recruits ability to learn and execute? As a D-1 Big Ten program, why did they struggle so bad against a zone defense. It is like they never had seen one in their basketball career. Don't you learn this in Jr High?

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I think it is more up the the recruits ability to learn and execute. This will be a poor analagy at best but when I played in highschool we had a similar problem without passing the ball around several times getting the defense out of position so a player is open or having a playmaker do something like drive towards the basket. Most of the time we would stand around and wait for the ball to come to us(similar to what the gophers do). Unless you play against a man defense pics and cuts really don't do a whole lot so sometimes it is difficult for the player to know what to do and where to be so they end up just standing around waiting. Really they just need to keep the ball moving quickly and move around more to find the soft/open spots in the zone. Just wait until we see a 1/3/1 zone(I think Northwester uses this). We will really see offensive struggles then. For whatever reason the gophers seem to have even more difficulty with this one likely because it takes some passing lanes away. If the players aren't going to move around and get the defense out of position then it is really difficult to get open shots. Feel free to knock my basketball knowledge. I know I don't know everything but that is a pretty good stab at it.

For me it was horrible watching them attack, or not attack the zone. I hate zone defenses, and it really bothers me the Gophers didn't do anything against it. At least when a team clamps down defensively you can tip your hat. But to lose against an average zone D, ugh!